Father’s Day looks a little different this year for plenty of folks around Big Blue Nation. Drew Franklin is celebrating his first Father’s Day as a Dad. Tony Washington Jr. is doing the same while wearing a different color than a year ago. He’s just one of many Kentucky football coaches who are juggling family life with the demands of SEC football.
This profession is transient. Coaches rarely stick around at one place for more than a couple of years. That can be incredibly tough on families. During the latest change to the staff, many of the coaches arrived in Lexington in January, but couldn’t get their entire family moved until the school-year ended. That’s a bummer.
Despite the challenges that come with life as a college football coach, there’s still so much love to give. For this Father’s Day, the moms and wives of the UK football program got the kids together to share messages to the Dads. It’s good, clean, wholesome content.
To be completely honest with you, this kind of stuff used to make my eyes roll. That was when I was young enough to relate to the players because we shared classes together. Now, I relate to the coaches by talking about our kids, and stuff like this is just outstanding.
Joey Stein is a Pokémon kid. That’s tough on the head coach. I lived through the early days of Pokémon, and I still get lost whenever I volunteer to play Pokémon. It’s tough, but not as tough as playing makeup. I’m sure Kolby Smith never has to break up any fights between his three boys, either.
This is another reminder that Will Stein has assembled a young coaching staff. They have to bring the juice all the time. It’s not just on the practice field or when they’re speaking with recruits, but also when they’re at home with their growing families.
Happy Father’s Day!
Lonnie Johnson recently returned to his Old Kentucky Football Home. Ahead of his eighth NFL season, the former Kentucky cornerback brought some special visitors with him to Lexington. His kids got to see what Dad accomplished during his time in a Kentucky uniform.
Like this story0Share article